Cartwright's Smokehouse (Bastrop)

Hey y’all! I truly am sorry for such a late posting, kids and jobs and life are definitely keeping this family busy!! But…I wanted to take some time to tell you about the visit we had at Cartwright’s Smokehouse last weekend, because we had an amazing time! To tell you the truth, I’m not too sure of the relation between this Cartwright’s and the one that used to be in the new Verizon building next to Walmart…so if any of you know please…??? But we were happy to see that someone has taken back over a really neat establishment off HWY 71, right across the highway from Hunan Tiger.



Well…we pulled into the parking lot and were very pleasantly surprised with the cleaning up and landscaping that they are doing outside of their building. They really are trying to make this a fun place to stop, and my daughter and I had some fun taking some photo ops next to their fountains and such. I was very eager to see what they had done on the inside too! If any of you have visited this site before, you know that it was a BBQ joint before as well, and while the inside was clean…as is true with many Bastrop restaurants it definitely needed an update. Well, update it they did and they did a really nice job with it too! It’s painted mostly this vibrant yellow with a cool mural of a chicken on the wall, they incorporated the very nostalgic and stereotypical antique pieces you may find at any BBQ restaurant, with a very nice crisp and clean color palette. We really were very excited to spend some time there.



True to form, we had both kids in toe and our whole family loves BBQ (what Texan doesn’t…right??) so we ordered just about one of everything to give it all to try.

And here it goes…this is what we ordered:
BBQ Chicken
Sausage
Pulled Pork Baked Potato
Chopped Beef Sandwich
Brisket
With of course all your normal sides:
Coleslaw
Potato Salad
AND…
Beans



It was all incredibly delicious! BBQ sauces were amazing, their coleslaw (which I believe they make in house) was really tasty, and wasn’t overly sweet. The whole family was happy, and I couldn’t have asked for a better lunch! We were real bummed to see Cartwright’s go, so if this is their resurrection we’re really very happy to have them back! It’s now the only BBQ place in town to be able to seat more than 50 people indoors. Make sure you swing by there sometime this week and give’em a holler! I’m sure they’ll be delighted to see you!

Jalisco's Taqueria (Bastrop)

Ok, so I know we said we were going to Baxter’s next, and we fully intend to by Sunday…but today we went to Jalisco’s Taqueria for brunch and the food was so good how could I NOT talk about it??? My husband and I went together, and we ordered the same thing and actually it’s my FAVORITE thing on the menu! Chilaquiles!! Oh! My! Gosh!

Do you know what Chilaquiles are??

Basically, they are tortilla chips soaked in enchilada sauce, baked, and then they sprinkle cheese on top. I remember watching Diners Drive Ins and Dives one night, and Guy was trying Chilaquiles…I was like “What???” Chips soaked in Enchilada sauce?? Sounds like MUNCHIE food to me, and umm…fattening?? Well…what can I say?? Yes…yes it is but it’s also delicious! We went to Jalisco’s Taqueria as soon as it opened and this was the very first thing I tried on their menu, it’s absolutely sinful! The chips are always tender but not soggy; the enchilada sauce is really tasty and just spicy enough. They sprinkle Queso Fresco on top. it comes with refried beans and potatoes, and you can get the perfect bite with one full swipe of your plate. MMM

We also ordered a pork tamale each and those are just as delicious! The pork is perfectly seasoned, and their nice and piping hot when they come to the table. Their house made salsa bar is the perfect companion for ALL of their dishes! I don’t know what they do at Jalisco’s Taqueria to make their food so amazing, but I would say it’s my favorite Mexican “Restaurant” in town. I just can’t wait for their bigger restaurant to open, I have a feeling we’ll be spending a lot of time there!